How the Vacation Rental Industry Went MainstreamWatchman Villas2018-04-18T22:12:00+00:00

How the Vacation Rental Industry Went Mainstream

The percentage of frequent travelers who regularly or semi-regularly choose to stay in vacation rentals (including Airbnb options) is rising every year. To say the vacation rental industry is booming would be an understatement. The industry as a whole has been on the rise for some time now. Figures from 2017 estimated the vacation rental industry, including Zion National Park accommodation, at over $150 billion. One interesting fact is that of all nationalities, Europeans book vacation rentals the most (which could be attributed to staying in “holiday homes” which is common in European culture and has been for years). In fact, according to data, approximately 50% of all European travelers in 2015 stayed in private accommodations which include places such as homes that are owned privately, individual couches and rooms that are formally rented, offerings by travel management companies, and park lodges.

Americans are the runners-up in frequency of vacation rental bookings. As far back as the year 2011, it was estimated that one in ten American travelers preferred alternative lodging options – a term that includes vacation rentals and Zion National Park accommodation. Only three years ago, in 2015, the one in ten statistic jumped to one in three. Vacation rentals are quickly becoming a most-preferred and extremely desirable lodging option across the board. The term “alternative lodging option” is perhaps already obsolete, as this hospitality option has made its way well into the mainstream.

This surge owes much to the advent of popular alternative lodging options such as Airbnb, launched in 2008, and HomeAway, launched in 2005. Before these platforms, the industry was very fragmented and not yet generally accepted as legitimate. Online booking made the idea of staying in a vacation home while traveling much more appealing with customizable features such as the ability to compare prices and cross-shop in other ways, such as focusing on personally desirable amenities and locations such as a Zion National Park accommodation, for example. It isn’t that travelers overall are necessarily preferring vacation rentals over hotels because they inherently like them more. They simply view vacation rentals as an option equal in value to a hotel in virtually any circumstance and will choose whichever option makes the most sense considering their particular trip.

Another surprising fact regarding the rise of vacation rentals and Zion National Park accommodation is that senior citizens are actually the most rapidly growing age group of users on sites like Airbnb and HomeAway, and over half of those users are female.

Because of how popular vacation rentals have become, a huge amount of people are turning their homes and other properties that they own into small hospitality businesses. This has resulted in state and local governments enacting laws and other regulations affecting the industry, some areas going so far as to completely prohibit it. The big, metropolitan cities have seen the largest number of restrictions and regulations when it comes to vacation rental owners. The issue, though, is that many of these cities have enacted laws that are so convoluted and confusing that the majority of vacation rental owners don’t comply. So, in some ways, it’s an ongoing battle that many view as protectionism against free-market choices. No matter how one views the proposed necessity of such laws, the renting of vacation properties as an alternative form of lodging presses on, many of which fall under the category of Zion National Park accommodation.

But one thing is for certain. What was once viewed as an unsafe lodging option has since turned into an attractive and very desirable one. “Alternative accommodations”, even as recent as a few years ago, was viewed as primarily the choice of millennials. But with each passing year, the general travel is choosing vacation rentals more and more. At Watchman Villas, we feel that we offer the best Zion National Park accommodation, which is what many other owners of similar properties in other areas feel as well. We will continue striving to offer the best possible Zion National Park accommodation available.